Idiom
four-minute warning
Meaning
A UK government public alert system in use during the Cold War to advise of an imminent nuclear attack.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“The four-minute warning was a signal for a nuclear attack.”
“During the Cold War, citizens lived in fear that the four-minute warning would suddenly sound across the country.”
“The government developed the four-minute warning as a desperate measure to alert the public of an incoming missile strike, though many doubted it offered enough time to seek safety.”
Examples
simple
“The four-minute warning was a signal for a nuclear attack.”
contextual
“During the Cold War, citizens lived in fear that the four-minute warning would suddenly sound across the country.”
complex
“The government developed the four-minute warning as a desperate measure to alert the public of an incoming missile strike, though many doubted it offered enough time to seek safety.”
Key words
Related idioms
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